Monthly Book Group
Each month I host an open meeting in Woodbridge in Suffolk. We used to meet in the town's bookshop but now gather together in a nearby hall. We usually focus on modern fiction and the discussion regularly attracts around 20 people, men and women, of all ages. Everyone is welcome to join in but please let me know you are planning on coming along. Sign up to the e-newsletter here to receive details. Scroll down to take a look at the titles we've read over the year, and view the archive for past discussions.
NEW - Book Group in Framlingham at Ottie and the Bea - details here
Woodbridge Book Group List for 2025
The debut novel by art critic, James Cahill, begins in the rarefied world of academia. Through the protagonist, Professor Don Lamb it explores art, privilege and power, and introduces us to the Venetian master, Gianbattista Tiepolo. What will we think of it?
Described as a love story with a difference, the novel spans the Welsh coast and war-torn Syria. 'A hypnotic tale of lost identity, the quest for home and the wondrous resilience of the human spirit' - what will we think of it?
Another lively discussion where the book divided the group into those who loved it and those who didn’t, and those who thought it was very much a book about a train and others who disagreed! A different title might have caused this group to respond to the book differently, it was suggested. Thee was common ground in the dislike for Paul and a desire to learn more about the secondary characters, and also an appreciation of the beautiful writing which displayed great insight into relationships,
Fremlin is called 'Britain's Patricia Highsmith' and the novelist Clare Chambers describes this 1950s mystery as a 'dark delight. Witty, unsettling domestic noir. Imagine Barbara Pym with arsenic'. What will we make of it?
Exploring the lives of three women in 90s County Donegal, this debut novel is described as 'immaculately crafted' with characterisation that is 'beautifully nuanced'. It's 'shot through with humour' and is a 'compelling, compassionate page-turner'. What will we think of it?